Welcome to Daily Dose, Here's the Zika Virus

 Hello, My name is Andrew. Back in freshman year I went and took a newspaper class and asked for my own column called “Daily Dose". I got it and wrote about 4 columns pieces for four issues of "The Panther Tale" in my 14-15 school year. I wanted to go ahead and raise awareness to many health hazards, diseases, and viruses that were viral that month the issue was coming out. 

 My dad is a PA (Physician Assistant) where most my inspiration, interest, and passion come from for the medical field. I have to thank him for helping me out on editing my papers and being a viable source for my column. He has worked in many states and in their cities around the US including California, Colorado, New Mexico, And Virginia.  

Welcome to the first installment of Daily Dose on blogger. One of the first cases to explain has been big in the year of 2016, the Zika virus. The Zika virus can be diagnosed properly by a doctor with a urine or blood test. 

According to CDC.gov, the virus is easy to give. Zika can be transmitted through mosquitoes, sex, if pregnant women get bit it will be passed on to the child she is carrying, and although not for sure, it is highly speculated that blood transfusion could transmit the virus to the patient receiving the donation.  

Side effects when you get the Zika virus may be mild to none. Known symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis (fancy word for red eyes), muscle pain, and headache. These may last for some for up to a week. Often times it is not necessary to be hospitalized and people have slim chances of fatality, however if a person is infected with the virus they are protected from future infections. As for developing babies in the womb, they could face birth defects regarding vision, height and hearing deficits. 

Unfortunately, there are no vaccines to help prevent this virus. To be clean from the virus a person must step up and protect themselves outdoors. CDC recommends long sleeve shirts and pants as well as treating clothes with insect repellent. To help protect against the transmission of the virus inside make sure when opening a window to your house that it has a screen or air conditioner. If these resources are not available it is recommended that you sleep under a mosquito bed net and cover up baby cribs. If a person is taking care of another with Zika they should always keep a clean and disinfected house. They should refrain from touching any body fluids the victim of the virus may produce such as urine, blood, and vomit. 

Since there is no vaccine prevention, there is no treatment if you have it. Only remedies and tips that are offered are to keep hydrated and get plenty of rest. It would be best to take medicine called acetaminophen to help with the fever as well as help reduce joint pain if you have those particular symptoms.  

Zika dates back to when it was stumbled upon in 1947. Outbreaks of Zika since 1952 have given account from tropical and wet areas in Africa, Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia. Even though since these outbreaks only before 2007 have CDC documented about fourteen cases of the virus. Zika is a hard thing to spot and has very many similar attributes and side effects that other diseases carry which could be mistaken and reported incorrectly. 

Sources:

"Zika Virus." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Oct. 2016. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.